Starmer to push Hillsborough law in final week as PM

The bill, officially known as the public office (accountability) bill, has faced significant delays. These were largely due to disagreements between ministers and campaigners over its application to intelligence services, with MI5, MI6, and GCHQ raising concerns about its potential impact on national security operations and covert officers. Initially slated for completion earlier this year, the government postponed it, sparking fears among campaigners and bereaved families that it would be indefinitely shelved.

Further confusion arose last week when Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy expressed confidence in the bill's imminent return, while other government figures suggested it might not be reintroduced until after the summer recess, by which time Starmer would no longer be prime minister. However, parliamentary business has since been updated to include the bill's remaining Commons stages this Tuesday.

The Hillsborough disaster in 1989, which resulted in the deaths of 97 Liverpool supporters, serves as the namesake and impetus for the law. Decades of campaigning by the victims' families exposed systemic failings by public bodies, particularly South Yorkshire police. A landmark inquest in 2016 found the victims were unlawfully killed, refuting earlier false claims against fans.

Ministers had previously proposed amendments that would have allowed intelligence chiefs to determine information disclosure based on national security grounds, a move strongly opposed by Hillsborough families and Labour MPs who argued it would undermine the law's core purpose of ensuring scrutiny. Although the government later dropped this specific amendment, discussions continued regarding the protection of sensitive intelligence. The bill's potential passage this week would represent a significant step toward establishing a legal duty of accountability for public authorities, an objective long sought by campaigners.